


Like Ships in the Night

by punkbean



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen, M/M, they would be masters of their own destiny if they weren't so damn oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 11:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15387363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkbean/pseuds/punkbean
Summary: The professional skating world is a small one, and it's a wonder Yuuri and Viktor didn't meet before that GPF in Sochi. But they almost did.





	Like Ships in the Night

Yuuri felt as if he might vibrate through the floor.

He had been skating for a few years now, but only a few months ago he saw something that changed his life. 

Viktor Nikiforov.

He was already smashing records at fifteen years old, and all anyone could talk about washis introduction to the senior division next year.

Yuuri was excited for that, too, of course. But right now he only wanted to focus on the present. 

Viktor was skating in an ice show in Fukuoka. They had been so lucky to get tickets, and even though they were up in the nosebleed section, Yuuri didn't care – he was going to see Viktor Nikiforov skating in person. 

Since seeing him skate for the first time, Yuuri had been even more focussed on skating. Before, he had gone to the rink a couple of times a week, mostly just to hang around with Yuuko (and Takeshi if he was playing nice that day). Now, though, he was there whenever he had enough free time, and he and Yuuko could spend hours trying to copy Viktor's routines after analysing the grainy footage of him skating. 

Even Yuuko, who had been skating for longer than Yuuri, couldn't help but acknowledge how fast he'd been improving. She wasn't sure if she wanted to skate professionally, but now even if she didn't, she knew she'd be able to cheer Yuuri on. 

Minako had brought Yuuri and Yuuko to Fukuoka, and despite not knowing much about skating, she let the two children chatter at her about axels and lutzes and loops to their hearts' content. 

When they were in their seats, and the skating began, Yuuri spent most of his time staring at the rinkside, looking out for that distinctive silver hair. He was worried that his glasses would somehow fail him and he wouldn't be able to see Viktor, so he kept adjusting them, pushing them further up his nose until he could push no further. 

He was trying his best to multitask and watch the other skaters, too, but Viktor was his priority. 

Just as he was about to give up on staring at the rinkside, he saw a familiar blue hat. Viktor's coach, Yakov Feltsman. And right behind him…

Yes, they were way back in some of the highest seats in the arena. Yuuri could barely even pick out the features of Viktor's face from this distance. But seeing him in person, being in the same room as him…he had some kind of energy that just compelled Yuuri to look at him. Yes, he was beautiful, but it wasn't just that. It was like he physically couldn't look away from him, even if he wanted to.

Yuuri kept watching him as he prepared for his skate. He was trying to take mental notes of his process, but mostly he was just enchanted by the way he moved. Even from a distance he was so fluid and graceful, like every movement was part of a dance. Taking a drink of water, stretching, slipping out of his Team Russia jacket, tying his hair back, taking off his skate guards, stepping onto the ice…

He was so absorbed in watching Viktor's movements that he didn't even register that it was his time to skate until he felt Yuuko's elbow digging into his ribs. He took his eyes off Viktor only to grin at her, then he was transfixed again. 

Maybe it was an overused word, but Viktor's skating was just beautiful. He had each and every member of the audience wrapped around his little finger, and he was dragging them all with him on his journey around the ice. Yuuri and Yuuko were both leaned so far forward in their seats that Minako reached over and pulled them both back, worried they would fall and cause a scene. 

Of course, when Viktor did a quad flip, Yuuri and Yuuko screamed just as loudly as anyone else in the audience, if not louder.

When Viktor finished skating, it was like a switch had been flipped. All the intensity of the skate, all those raw emotions, were replaced with a bright smile as Viktor took his bows and waved to the audience. Yuuri desperately wished they were sitting closer so he could throw something onto the ice for him.

Maybe he could throw himself? No, that was a weird thought. He'd ignore that one.

It felt like far too soon that Viktor skated off the ice, more cuddly poodles than he could reasonably hold clutched in his arms. 

* * *

Yuuri was so relieved that Viktor had been last to skate. He would have been able to focus even less on anyone who skated after him. They waited for the arena to empty out a little bit before they made their way out of their seats.

This gave Yuuko and Yuuri the perfect opportunity for a play-by-play analysis of Viktor's performance, and how it differed to watching it on the TV. 

"I think I need to learn more about skating so I can actually join in these conversations," Minako said dryly, herding Yuuri and Yuuko through the sparse crowds. 

 

They ventured a little way out of the arena complex to get some food, Yuuri and Yuuko still chattering about the competition. To her credit, Minako was incredibly good-natured about it all – she occasionally asked questions so she could at least try to keep up, but for the most part just listened to them talk.

Their hotel for the evening was linked to the arena for the convenience of guests attending events. Yuuri could barely handle the thought that Viktor might be staying here, too – he kept a constant lookout for long, silver hair as they walked to their rooms.  

While Yuuri didn't see any silver hair, he was excited that he and Yuuko had their own room for the night. Yes, Minako's room was adjoined to theirs, but they could stay up as late as they wanted! 

The opportunity was wasted, though, when Yuuko fell asleep by ten. Yuuri considered shaking her awake, but instead just draped the throw blanket over her. At least she was comfortable. 

Yuuri lay down for a few minutes but couldn't even think about sleep. Even though they'd done nothing but talk about it all evening, Viktor was still skating through his head, beautiful and graceful and hypnotising. He rolled back and forth in bed for what felt like hours, not daring to look at the clock until he had to use the bathroom. Only one hour had passed, and it was just after eleven. 

He huffed out a sigh. How was he supposed to sleep after he'd seen Viktor Nikiforov, the best skater and most beautiful person in the world, performing in person?

(A little voice in Yuuri's head whispered something about _future husband_ , and even the thought spread a wide smile across his face). 

He knew he couldn't sleep, so instead he decided to go for a walk. He'd go to a vending machine, get a drink or a snack, and he'd come straight back to the room. After patting his pockets to make sure he had some money, and making sure he had his room key at least fifteen times, he let himself out of the room, letting the door click shut as quietly as possible. 

The hotel was eerily quiet. Yuuri knew there were snack machines in the lobby, so he headed down. The only person there was a lady at the reception desk, who offered him a smile. He returned it, quietly hoping she wouldn't somehow report to Minako that he was out of his room. The thought made him speed up so that she wouldn't be able to record any of his distinguishing features.

Before he knew it he was out of the hotel lobby, and into the lobby area of the arena. Compared to earlier, it was eerily silent. There was the buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead, and he could hear a janitor's mop echoing from the other end of the lobby. 

He let his feet carry him, walking aimlessly through the building that was so familiar yet so foreign. It was clearly signposted, and he had no trouble navigating, but he had nowhere to go. 

Soon enough, though, he found himself at one of the heavy doors into the arena itself. It took all his body weight to push it open, but when he did, he felt the familiar rush of cool air, and suddenly wished he'd brought his skates to Fukuoka with him. Skating always helped him organise his thoughts, and he'd be able to skate on the same ice Viktor had skated on that day. 

It wouldn't be the same as accomplishing his ambition of competing against him, but it would certainly be nice. 

He walked up the stairs towards the ice as if he were in a trance, letting the door close with a _thunk_ behind him. The arena was dark, but the rink was lit brightly, almost as if the ice itself was glowing. Only when he was halfway up the stairs to the rink did he register the sound of blades cutting into the ice. 

He froze, then moved into the shadows and crept more slowly towards the ice. 

Only when he reached the top of the stairs, and could see over the wall, could he see who was skating. 

He wasn't wearing the same fancy costume as earlier, nor makeup, but his hair was long and shiny like a silver waterfall behind him, and he looked like the moon the way he moved across the ice. 

Viktor. 

Yuuri felt like he was frozen. Maybe he had fallen asleep in their hotel room and this was all a vivid dream. He pinched himself, hard, and let out a little yelp. Viktor paused by the wall and cast a glance around the edges of the rink. Yuuri quickly pressed himself into the shadows, thankful that he was wearing dark colours. 

"Is anyone there?" Viktor called in heavily accented English. He let his voice, as clear as a bell, echo around the arena for a few seconds.

Part of Yuuri desperately wanted to come out of the shadows and say hi to Viktor. Tell him how much he'd enjoyed the show, how much he'd enjoyed _all_ his shows, and that he was probably his biggest fan. 

But he didn't. Even if he'd really wanted to, he couldn't seem to make his legs move or his voice work. 

Viktor didn't waste much time in getting back to skating, anyway. It seemed like he was practising a new routine – he moved so elegantly across the ice, it was hard to believe he was only sixteen. 

Yuuri allowed himself get lost in the movements, letting out an elated gasp when Viktor did a quad flip. Even though he was just practising in the dead of night, in leggings and a black shirt, he was just as enchanting as he had been during the competition in his costume and makeup. 

When Viktor finished skating, it felt like too soon for Yuuri. He wanted that night to last forever, watching Viktor skate, but of course he didn't have an endless supply of energy. He skated to the edge of the ice and stepped off, going through the motions of putting on his skate guards and taking off his skates. 

Yuuri was still transfixed. He was different on-ice than he was off-ice, but even off-ice he was like some kind of ethereal being. He sprayed some kind of perfume on himself and brushed through his hair a few times as he packed his things away, and before Yuuri could react, Viktor was walking right towards him. He could only panic and press himself against the wall, eyes wide as Viktor passed within a couple of feet. 

Even though he'd just been skating his heart out, he smelled flowery and looked fresh. If Yuuri had just been skating like that, he would have been as red as a lobster.

He watched as Viktor left the arena, and slowly let himself sink to the floor, clutching his heart. 

Never mind competing against Viktor one day. He definitely wanted to marry him. 

* * *

 

Yuuri couldn't stop yawning as they made their way to the train station the next morning.

"Didn't you sleep well, Yuuri?" Minako asked, a hand on each of their shoulders as she shepherded them through the busy station. 

Yuuri just shook his head. 

"Were you still thinking about Viktor?" Yuuko teased, grinning over at him.

"Yuuko!" Yuuri protested. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and Yuuko laughed. It was true, of course, but not for the reasons she thought. 

"You two just wait here, okay?" Minako said, parking Yuuri and Yuuko by a wall next to a row of ticket machines. 

"You really were thinking about Viktor, weren't you?" Yuuko said, nudging Yuuri playfully. 

Yuuri tried his best to level her with a stern look. "I had nothing else to do, you fell asleep in five minutes."

Yuuko was undeterred, but her smile softened. "I can't blame you, he really is amazing," she said, eyes shining. 

By the time Minako returned, they were back in full-on skating mode, even though today the conversation was punctuated by Yuuri's yawns. 

The station was busy, and it was all Yuuri could do to keep track of where Minako and Yuuko were. All his focus was on staying with them. He was so focussed on that, however, that he wasn't paying attention to what was right in front of him and he collided with someone's bony shoulder. 

"ごめんなさい," he said quickly, ready to go around the person and find Minako again, but he froze when he realised he'd bumped into someone with a red, white and blue jacket. And there was silver hair right in his face. 

"ありがとう!" Viktor said, smiling brightly at Yuuri. 

Yuuri didn't have the brain cells to think about how bad Viktor's Japanese was. He didn't care. He smelled so nice, and his eyes were so blue, and Minako was yelling his name somewhere in front of him. 

"Sorry," Yuuri said this time, and even though he wanted nothing more than to profess his love for Viktor, and maybe propose to him, he dodged around him and ran to where Minako was frantically looking around for him. "I just bumped into someone," he said. 

As they rushed for their own train, Yuuri looked over his shoulder one last time and caught a glimpse of silver hair going in the opposite direction. 

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fic in a really long time but this idea would not leave me alone…I hope you enjoy! （´・｀ ）♡
> 
> Also, translations appear if you hover over japanese text! (I tried to learn Japanese once upon a time but it was so difficult…so I used google translate, haha!! Sorry for any inaccuracy!)


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